E-Bike Battery Care & Maintenance Tips!

Lithium batteries are often the battery of choice for many e-bike manufacturers because these high-tech batteries are compact, high-capacity and reliable so a great reliable choice for most EMTBs, but maintaining them can sometimes be a challenge if you're not sure where to start. Chris Smith is here to run you through some simple steps to ensure you get the most from your EMTB battery!
⏱ Timestamps ⏱
0:00 - intro
0:18 - How long do E-bike batteries last?
1:20 - How often should you charge an E-bike?
2:06 - Where can you charge an E-bike?
2:50 - E-bike Lithium battery storage
3:20 - EMTB Battery usage tips
4:02 - Transporting lithium batteries safely
5:00 - EMTB battery chargers
6:13 - EMTB battery cleaning
7:16 - EMTB updates/apps
7:57 - Disposing of lithium batteries safely
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[@VadikRamm]

I wish there was a recycling program that would incentivize people to recycle their old batteries in exchange for extra credits that people can use towards purchasing a brand new battery.

[@HoonGoon]

The shop just recently purchased my trek rail 9.8 gt from said i can bring the battery to them to recycle for free. I guess you usually have to pay to recycle them? Im new to this.

[@johndoe-tk6en]

@@HoonGoon garages sell old battery's...

[@vashon100]

@@johndoe-tk6en batteries vs battery's

[@johndoe-tk6en]

@@vashon100 Sorry, batterijen.

[@Magoo71]

It's still strange seeing Chris on the channel when we all know he's gone! Hope he turns up soon as I've come to really enjoy his commentary and bike riding...!

[@pc.9008]

His last vid apparently 😣

[@vashon100]

He needs to come back!

[@seakayak4425]

Every now and then this channel actually gives sensible advice,I have experienced battery degradation due to charging straight after cold winter rides,definitely get them to room temp first or at least not 5c or so

[@jevgeniardassov]

Specialized gives you instructions on the battery itself. Charge at least once in 30 days at room temperature, do not use at below -25 or above 40 C. Store at 50-60% charge. Since my second boy was born I am unable to ride as much as I did and I do need to store my battery from time to time. Very helpful, thanks Specialized.

[@johnreese3762]

Great info/video! Thanks Chris!

[@embn]

Glad it was helpful!

[@CMZPICTURES]

Ooooh, I've been charging mine up at the end of every ride. This is great info. Thanks!

[@adamotheloanguy]

Me too. Good to know

[@JCbiglessworth]

Depends on what battery you have, bosch batteries have a management system where you can charge it fully without issues

[@350zbn]

Great tips from you guys as always

[@embn]

Glad you found these tips useful! Thanks for the support! 👊

[@davidmacdonald4922]

Any good tips on whether you should protect the connection terminals on the bike when transporting the bike after the battery has been removed? On a towbar rack, for example, there is going to be a lot of water spray and crud flying around that area when driving at any speed. Are covers available, or any tips about making A DIY cover? Thanks.

[@doepicchet]

If charging in your home I would charge in a fireproof battery bag. Also great for storage.

[@GG-ye7cj]

Thanks for the video. I would like to plan a roadtrip in sctoland with an ebike, do you think it's easy to charge the batteries in bars, restaurants or campings ?

[@J-Po-tt5ze]

Hi, please can you recommend any fire proof bags / boxes for home use? Recent news of batteries going up in smoke makes you think.

[@porroco]

I have shimano ep8 with 630wh, but hope the come with a ballancing on their firmware app. Sometimes you fully charge your ebike, but for some reason could not ride for weeks and batt keeps fully charged

[@silviu.filipescu]

I generally charge my eMTB battery just before the ride to 100%. After the ride it remains generally to 10-40% with state of charge for few days or weeks till next ride. I also keep 20-25% state of charge over the winter for 3 months. I rarely discharge the battery to 0% on a ride. This happened 4 or 5 times in 2 years of use. Now the battery have 45 charging cycles and I do not feel a drop of autonomy. I store my bike with battery installed in a shady place on the balcony where the temperature is maxim 40 C degrees in the midday of summer and minimum 10 C degrees in winter.

[@205RallyTeam]

Hmm what do you recommend with a 2023 Mondraker Crafty RR as battery cannot be removed.

[@flowjov10]

Chris delivers as always. I wish you all the best for your future and miss your appearance on the channel already. It is simply not the same with out you.

[@vashon100]

Where did he go or did they send him away. I miss him!

[@Destide]

Great tip about the dielectric grease, so many people smother contacts with, it's for insulating water ingress. Just my opinion and not factual at all, but for the contacts isopropyl to clean and acf50 to stop corrosion use an insulating soft brush, wire wool not recommended :D.

[@HaggisPower]

Electrical contact cleaner is designed for exactly this and leaves a very light oil residue on the contacts. I had the motor out the other day and put silicon dielectric grease around the inside of the connector shrouds but not into the contacts. Anything to keep water out while keeping good contact...

[@stigsy5609]

Hi Chris, is there any kind of range extender for an old shimano e8000 bike with 500wh accu ? Scott 710 . Thanks Woli

[@OGBandit1]

So are you talking Celsius? 20⁰ seems a bit cold for storage. I was told to make sure you are charging to full before a ride as the bms with balance the cells.

[@Nickels38]

great video.... are these ebike batteries affected by magnets or magnetic fields?

[@AmvC]

Thank you, every bit of reduced waste counts :)

[@twisteds2fast4u]

Nice video, i have a question.. what if you find yourself with a charged battery and you cant ride for what ever reason? how do you discharge it for storage? thanks

[@mikeflanary642]

Take it for a spin outside for 20 min on turbo?

[@Patrick-vu1pn]

Ride it on turbo or create a discharger the RC world has been doing it for years

[@krisannvercauteren-lennart2166]

hello, i have a problem with my bike. i lost the battery key of a cube bike. is there a solution to get the battery out now ? i am from belgium :) - love the movies ..

[@ripp3rjak934]

My battery has an on and off switch. But what I’m concerned about is. Should I turn the battery ON! When I’m charging it? Or should I keep it off? Then charge it so I’m confused

[@stevetremlett7917]

My Giant owners manual says to completely drain battery every 15 charge cycles in order to maximise battery life.

[@hobblyjig]

Do brands offer apps to manage charging? Like setting it to charge to a certain percentage? Or set to charge by a certain time. What brands do have that?

[@Patrick-vu1pn]

Giant has a button to charge the battery to 60%

[@Lee-ic2yn]

Just use a timer

[@emcon3]

Batteries don't degrade in cold weather is it true? 　 If it is cold, the battery operation time from full charge will be shortened.

[@nickfitzhugh7156]

You can extend your battery life (ie number of charge cycles) by up to 2x by only charging it to 90%, or even up to 3x by limiting charging to 80%. I think the 1000 charge cycles estimate is improbable, more like 300-500 depending on the cells used in the battery, although obviously this depends on what your definition of end of battery life is (IMO 60% capacity is pretty unusable!). For someone who rides twice a week that would mean only 3 to 5 years of usable battery life. If you're doing shorter rides that don't require a full battery, best to only charge to 80-90% to extend the usable battery lifespan.

[@YoStu242]

I have followed 40-80% rule with my mobile phone, meaning I have tried not to charge past 80% and not let drain below 40% and after ~5 years battery has lost about 10% of it's rated capacity. I suppose same applies to all li-ion batteries altough e-bike as such crude charge indicators so it's hard to tell the percentage. I suppose it's enough when I stop charging when it's 4/5 bars full and not let it drain below 2/5.

[@DKFX1]

@@YoStu242 That's pretty impressive, I had mine for 2.5 years and used a 20-80% rule, but I can't say I haven't slipped up occasionally. It was at 93% 1 month ago. Now I've used for it 4 weeks as an internet hotspot(not keeping the rule) and it's already down to 91%

[@vashon100]

Now we just need the motors to match that life expectancy

[@islandaerial3414]

You'd be extremely lucky to make it to 1000 cycles. There isn't a DU that will last as long as any battery I've pass by 500 cycles and am on my 4th DU...

[@06howea1]

Still using an iPhone 5

[@abikeesclerosada]

I charged my Shimano battery 57 times, and after 30 (around) it started to loose range. New was 183 km, and now is 170 km. According to Shimano its normal. Is it?????

[@22Jeffers]

Unfortunately I can’t take the battery out of my 2018 Focus Jam2 easily. It’s a motor out job. So it sadly has to get cold in the garage over the winter.

[@allensheppard3691]

Battery heater,A.C.\ insulate the garage

[@robbief1]

What does this mean for all those ebikes with built in batteries that are stuck in garages or sheds over winter?

[@allensheppard3691]

Dinosaurs

[@JoLe1991]

a decent BMS should prevent charge current from reaching the battery below 5°C. I'm developing a battery (based on 21700 cells) with temperature dependent heating element that will turn on below 15°C when the charger is plugged in. Without a charger, the heating element cannot turn on and use up battery capacity to maintain temperature. The aim of this automatic heating system is to have a battery which can be charged in cold conditions (obviously insulation is required to keep the heat), i.e. outdoor solar chargin in winter.

[@samwise833]

I thought Christ had left! Welcome back Chris 😁

[@jmo2752]

They film a lot of stuff in advance... this was filmed before Christmas, as he mentions their merch as a Christmas gift.

[@samwise833]

@@jmo2752 why didn't they film and post his good bye video in advance and post it as his last video

[@jmo2752]

@@samwise833 you'd have to ask them, but it appears that Chris decided he would leave at the end of December, so it made sense that the final weekly show of the year was where that 'goodbye' was announced; whereas this kind of content is often filmed many more weeks or even months in advance, and they hadn't had time to publish all his previously-recorded content before his actual leaving date.

[@vashon100]

@@jmo2752 Did Chris leave or did they send him? I miss him!

[@glennmcmullen5192]

I was always told to charge it up after every ride and basically when in storage for the winter to plug it in once a month to keep it at full charge......

[@mattcameron9349]

Batribike, by any chance?

[@sachaquadrelli4674]

You definitely don't want to be doing that!

[@glennmcmullen5192]

@@mattcameron9349 nope

[@scootjockey]

My battery defect after 10 months on a fullray e bike 10.0 did everything by the book still defect, broke, knackerd getting it swapped on garantie but thats not the point wish i would never have bought the thing.

[@utube091116]

Storage level is absolutely not 30-60% but around 75% ! as there are mostly e few led or the blocks on the readout display, the top one needs to be off and the second top blinking ! RFM !

[@HaggisPower]

I've always understood it to be within a range closer to Chris's suggestion...

[@bustergoddess]

Don’t neglect to buff your battery 🔋!

[@falksturmfels2737]

Damn, almost february and still Chris-Movies poppin' up. How much more videos can we expect?

[@paulfern78]

Bring back chris!

[@vashon100]

Exactly YES!

[@stevemlejnek7073]

After the charger shows my battery is fully charged, the battery itself shows only 2 out of 3 LED lights

[@SteveGates81]

So is everyone else with a non-removable battery just ignoring this advice and storing their bike in the garage at subzero temps over the winter? Or keeping their bike indoors?

[@22Jeffers]

Yep; I’m just ignoring it. 🤣 Occasionally I’ll bring it in the night before the ride to charge it and to get it to trim temp before the ride.

[@seakayak4425]

Why I like my old 2017 external battery set up,cold does them no good

[@Lee-ic2yn]

I'd never leave my rail in a garage Just asking for it to be stolen imo

[@tomquimby8669]

Good bye Chris. good presenter good job

[@Lee-ic2yn]

4:34 Just don't ever do this if you're bike is worth over £20

[@mikebirkett010]

I know the big players are good at their batteries and safety systems, but a word of warning to those who feel 'E***' can provide a cheap alternative to the real Ebike world. As an Electrical Engineer of 40 years standing, I can say that Li Ion batteries are not the answer. Better is to come, and to those people who bought cheap Escooters and Ebikes, sorry about the fires. Energy density in modern batteries is frightening.

[@RobertAdams-ly5ku]

So, what are you saying exactly

[@micktheshaggy3977]

@@RobertAdams-ly5ku He says "don't buy crap ebike shaped objects on ebay".

[@RobertAdams-ly5ku]

@@micktheshaggy3977 Thanks Mike, now I understand, and it sounds like good advice

[@Lee-ic2yn]

@@micktheshaggy3977 but I've got a Li ion battery in my trek rail You're right but he also just said it as if any lithium battery is dangerous

[@Lee-ic2yn]

Haven't you made this video twice already?

[@OU812NVME]

This is the fact about these batteries and in fact is the fact about all lithium batteries when you store it you want to store between 75 and 80% energy and that's a fact you do this and keep it out of the heat you'll get the life out of your batteries I've been in the battery industry for over two decades now it's really just that simple and what happens with these batteries is there's many cells in there and you get one cell of all those cells that go bad in Elvis and you can't charge it because of the smartcharge technology United tear it apart find the one bad cell give it a little bit of a jump put it back in and all the sudden your battery pack is brand new again

[@elvislad]

Any generous riders out there,my heart rate today hit 191bpm 191!!! I'm 52 been riding all my life,my local track has a super steep hill to get to the top,its just a 1 minute track,built it over last year. I'm desperate for an ebike or a bafang kit,I even got off today cos well tbh got a little scared when my heart started racing on the climb up,normal max is still high 180's though. I've always been skint my whole life,no matter how hard long I've worked,been off last year n half due to having a bit of a breakdown but feel better now,a lot of it was beating myself up for not being able to afford an e,depresses me so much because it's exactly the type of bike u need here in north wales,every where is steep,either up or down. Anyway moan moan moan :-(